Protective headgear vizor mechanism



Dec. 29, 1964 J. c. MILLER PROTECTIVE HEADGEAR VIZOR MECHANISM 3Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 27, 1963 INVENTOR. JOHN C. MILLER Dec. 29,1964 J. c. MILLER 3,162,362

' PROTECTIVE HEADGEAR VIZOR MECHANISM Filed June 27, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet2 INVENTOR.

JOHN C. M/ZLER ATTOR/VEVS.

Dec. 29, 1954 J. c. MILLER PROTECTIVE HEADGEAR VIZOR MECHANISM 3Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 27, 1963 JOHN C. MILLER BY wwwflwww.

ATTORNEYS,

United States Patent 3,162,862 PRQTEG'EWEHEAD GEAR VIZQR. MECHANISMJohn: Miller; Pittsbnrgh, Pa-,. assign: to. Mine Safety-- AppliancesCompany, Pittsburgh, Pin, a corporation.

of. Pennsylvania- Filed'June, 27; l9 63, Ser..No..290,Q63. Claims. (.61.2-6) This invention relates toprotective head-gear thatencloses the headandface, and more particularly to a retractable transparent vizortherein.

It. is among the objects of this invention to provide protectiveheadgear witha vizor which can easily be raised and lowered, which canbe, tightly sealed in operative position, which can be moved intosealing position and released therefrom by means that are not exposed,and which. can be held in its raised position by; the same mean that.moves it into operative position.

In accordance with this invention a helmet shell for enclosing the headhas a downwardly extending front portion provided with an open window;Secured to the inner surface, of the shell around the window isa sealinggasket. Behind this gasket is a horizontally curved transparent vizorhaving rearward extending and portions. Also, inside the shell thereare'trackmembers that are secured to it at opposite sides of the window.These members are provided with forwardly opening vertical guide slotsthat slidingly receive the end portions of the vizor to permit upwardand forward and backward movement thereof. Manually operable means aremounted in the shell behind the lowered vizor for engaging its ends toforce the vizor forward into sealing engagement with the gasket. Themanually operable means most suitably include cams and operating handlescompletely inside the helmet but operable through a flexible sleeve thatconnects the bottom of the helmet with the neck of a protective suit.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a side view of the headgear;

FIG. 2 is a front view;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section with parts broken away andshowing the vizor in operative position;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view, similar to FIG. 3 but showing the vizorreleased;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing the vizor in its upperposition;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary horizontal section, with the inner hat removed,taken on the line VI-VI of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary vertical cross section taken on the line VIIVIIof FIG. 6. 7

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, a rigid hat 1 contains aconventional liner or suspension (not shown) for supporting the hat onthe head. A helmet shell 2 fits over the hat and is spaced from it andsupported by it. The shell extends down below the hat to cover the earsand to provide in front of the face a front portion, in which there is alarge window opening 3. Sealed to the lower edge of the helmet shell isthe upper end of a flexible sleeve 4 that is designed to extend downaround the neck and that has a lower end adapted to be connected to aprotective suit (not shown) around the neck opening therein.

Inside of the front portion of the helmet shell is a transparent vizor 7for closing window opening 3. This vizor is curved transversely as shownin FIG. 6 so that its ends extend rearwardly along the opposite sides ofthe helmet. Preferably, the vizor also is curved vertically to about thesame extent as the shell. Secured to the inner surface of the shellaround the window opening "Ice there is as flexible sealing-- gasket 8.When the'vizoris in operative position, the inner surface ofthis gasketis engaged by the front marginal area of the vizor as shown in FIG. 3.The front of the'vi'zor is supported in its lower position byacenterblock 9 attached by a screw 10 or the like to the inside of the shell.below the center of the window opening:

For holding the ends of the-vizor in place. and guiding it= when-itisraised and lowered, a pair of track membersare provided; These membersare forwardly-bowed elongated blocks- 12- standing on end and secured inany suit-- able manner to the inside of the shell atopposite sides ofthewindowopening. Each block is providedv with a forwardly opening guideslot- 13 extending from topto bottom, with substantially the lower halfof the slotalso opening rearwardly. so that the-lower half ofthe block'is forked. These tracks are so positioned in-the'helmetthat when thevizor is pressed forward against thewindow gasket the-ends of the vizorextend only a short distance back into the guide slots. The backs of thetrack members maybe provided with transverse notches 14' for receivingshoulders on the hat rtohelp position itin the shell.

In order to press the vizor in itslower position tightly against thesealing gasket, manually operable means for that purpose are associatedwith the two track members. Preferably, each of such means includes acam 15, most suitably shaped like a lever, that is rotatably mounted inthe forked lower portion of a track member on a pivot pin 16 screwedinto the track and extending across the guide slot 13. Each cam lever,when disposed substantially horizontally, has a vertically curved frontend 17 that engages the adjoining concave end of the vizor to hold thevizor in its forward sealing position against the gasket. The cam leverextends backward out of the guide slot and has a stiff handle 18pivotally suspended from its rear end by a screw 19.

As long as the two cams are pressing against the vizor, it is heldtightly against the gasket and the helmet is sealed. When it is desiredto raise the vizor to a retracted position above the window opening, thewearer of the headgear grasps the lower ends of the two handles 18 inhis fingers through the flexible sleeve after first raising the sleeve alittle. He then pulls down on the sleeve and handles together andthereby causes the front ends of the cam levers to swing upward awayfrom the vizor. This releases the pressure of the cams against thevizor, which can then move backward in the track guide slots to separateit from the gasket as shown in FIG. 4. By pushing upward on the front ofthe released vizor with the fingers, the vizor can be swung or slidupward in the tracks until it strikes an arresting block 21 secured tothe inside of the helmet some distance above the window. While the vizoris held in this position with one hand, the wearer of the headgear useshis other hand to raise a handle 18 in order to lift the rear end of theadjoining cam lever and thereby swing its front end downward to pressforward against the adjoining rear edge of the lower part of the vizorto press the vizor against the upper part of gasket 8. A shoulder 20 ontop of the cam will strike the back of the track member as shown in FIG.5 to prevent the cam from being turned too far. The other cam then canbe pressed against the vizor in the same way. This will support thevizor in its upper position until it is desired to lower the vizor. Allthat is necessary then is to pull down on the raised handles, which willswing the front ends of the horizontal cam levers upward, whereupon thevizor will drop down to its lowered position. Then both handles areraised to cause the two cams to push the vizor forward into sealingengagement with the window gasket.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I

have explained the principle of my invention and have illustrated anddescribed what I now consider to represent its best embodiment. However,I desireto have it understood that, within the scope of the appendedclaims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specificallyillustrated and described.

I claim: 7

1.. In protective headgear; a helmet shell for enclosing the head andhaving a downwardly extending front portion provided with an openwindow, a sealing gasket secured to the inner surface of the shellaround said window, a horizontally curved transparent vizor in the shelladapted to engage said gasket around the Window and having rearwardlyextending end portions, track members inside the shell secured theretoat opposite sides of said window and provided with forwardly openingvertical guide slots slidingly receiving said end portions of the vizorto permit upward and forward and backward movement thereof, and manuallyoperable means mounted in the shell behind the lowered vizor forengaging its ends and sliding them forward in said slots to force thevisor forward into sealing engagement with said gasket.

2. In protective headgear according to claim 1, said manually operablemeans including a cam pivotally connected to each track member on asubstantially horizontal axis behind the adjoining end of the loweredvizor, and means for rotating the cams into a predetermined position toforce'the vizor ahead.

3. In protective headgear according to claim 1, said 4 a manuallyoperable means being shaped to slide said end portions forward in saidslots to force the vizor forward 7 against said gasket when the, vizoris in its upper position. 4

4. In protective headgear according to claim 1, said manually operablemeans including a cam lever disposed in each of said slots andprojecting rearwardly therefrom, means pivotally connecting the camlevers to the track members behind the adjoining ends of the loweredvizor, and a stifi operating handle pivotally suspended from the back ofeach camlever for swinging the back of the earn up, the cam levers beingshaped to force the vizor forward when their fronts are swung down.

5. In protective headgear according to claim 4, the cam levers and vizorbeing so related that said levers force the lower part of the vizorforward against the upper part of said gasket when the vizor is raised.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS ItalySept. 20, 1955

1. IN PROTECTIVE HEADGEAR, A HELMET SHELL FOR ENCLOSING THE HEAD ANDHAVING A DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING FRONT PORTION PROVIDED WITH AN OPENWINDOW, A SEALING GASKET SECURED TO THE INNER SURFACE OF THE SHELLAROUND SAID WINDOW, A HORIZONTALLY CURVED TRANSPARENT VIZOR IN THE SHELLADAPTED TO ENGAGE SAID GASKET AROUND THE WINDOW AND HAVING REARWARDLYEXTENDING END PORTIONS, TRACK MEMBERS INSIDE THE SHELL SECURED THERETOAT OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID WINDOW AND PROVIDED WITH FORWARDLY OPENINGVERTICAL GUIDE SLOTS SLIDINGLY RECEIVING SAID END PORTIONS OF THE VIZORTO PERMIT UPWARD AND FORWARD AND BACKWARD MOVEMENT THEREOF, AND MANUALLYOPERABLE MEANS MOUNTED IN THE SHELL BEHIND THE LOWERED VIZOR FORENGAGING ITS ENDS AND SLIDING THEM FORWARD IN SAID SLOTS TO FORCE THEVISOR FORWARD INTO SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID GASKET.